One of the great lost masterpieces of Japanese animation, newly restored in 4k for this first-ever U.S. release. BELLADONNA OF SADNESS follows the mad and sensual tale of Jeanne, an innocent young woman who makes a pact with the devil (voiced by Tatsuya Nakadai, from Akira Kurosawa’s RAN). Filled with explicit Egon Schiele-inspired eroticism, the film is a swirling, psychedelic light-show of medieval tarot-card imagery replete with horned demons, haunted forests and La Belle Dame Sans Merci. Extremely transgressive and not for the easily offended, BELLADONNA is fueled by a mindblowing Japanese psych rock soundtrack by noted avant-garde jazz composer Masahiko Satoh.
BELLADONNA OF SADNESS is the last in the adult-themed Animerama Trilogy produced by the godfather of Japanese anime & manga, Osamu Tezuka, and directed by his long time collaborator Eiichi Yamamoto (ASTRO BOY, KIMBA THE WHITE LION). All but lost since the its 1970s release, the film was restored by Cinelicious Pics using the original 35mm camera negative and sound elements – including over 8 minutes of surreal and explicit footage cut from the negative.
“Compulsively watchable…
BELLADONNA OF SADNESS is undoubtedly a landmark of animated film, and arguably a masterpiece.”
–Glenn Kenny, THE NEW YORK TIMES
[Anime’s] first masterpiece was Belladonna of Sadness (Kanashimi no Beradonna), a film that has a visual style so sui generis that I can only compare it to Sesame Street if Sesame Street
were, as my paternal grandmother believed, a recruiting film for LSD-addled freakazoids and the Church of Satan.”
–J.W. McCormack, VICE
In conjunction with the Blu-Ray release, Hat & Beard and Cinelicious will be releasing a book about the movie: Belladonna of Sadness: A Companion to the 1973 Cult Japanese Anime Film. The book will feature the first-ever in-depth interviews translated in English with director Eiichi Yamamoto, illustrator Kuni Fukai and famed jazz musician & soundtrack composer Masahiko Satoh, plus stunning color reproductions of the film’s surreal artwork, and interviews with Cinelicious’ restoration artists on rescuing the long-lost
complete version of the film.
Both the regular edition and special Limited Edition (including Blu-ray, 1-sheet poster, pins and other goodies) of the book are now available for pre-order on Hat & Beard’s website.
For press requests please contact Emma Myers: emma.e.myers@gmail.com
ABOUT CINELICIOUS PICS:
Cinelicious Pics is a distribution company bringing handpicked independent features & docs plus 4K-restored art house and cult classics to North American audiences via theatrical release, Video on Demand, and Blu-Ray. Past releases include Josephine Decker’s Thou Wast Mild & Lovely and Butter on the Latch, Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, John Magary’s The Mend, and Agnès Varda’s Jane B. Par Agnès V. and Kung-Fu Master!, among many others. Cinelicious Pics was recently voted “Best Indie Film Distributor” of 2015 by L.A. Weekly magazine. 4K restorations are lovingly brought to pristine viewing quality by sister post & digital restoration studioCinelicious, which has recently provided post services to Berlinale Silver Bear Best Director winners Boyhood(2014) by Richard Linklater, and Prince Avalanche (2013) by David Gordon Green, as well as the 4K restoration of Chris Nolan’s Following. Both companies are located in the heart of Hollywood.
ABOUT SPECTREVISION:
Founded in 2010 by partners Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh C. Waller, SpectreVision was created to tell heartfelt, character-driven stories tackling real emotional and social issues that test the boundaries of the genre space.
The SpectreVision productions of Cooties and A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night made their premieres at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Cooties was acquired by Lionsgate Films at Sundance. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night was acquired by Kino-Lorber. It has been the recipient of numerous awards from film festivals throughout the world, and was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards. Their production of The Boy, premiered at the 2015 South By Southwest film festival. It opened in the U.S. in August 2015, and continued to play at festivals worldwide throughout the year.
In the five years since its inception, SpectreVision has expanded its focus, with new and exciting forays into the worlds of music, television, gaming and digital media.
In addition to their slate of original productions, SpectreVision is also dedicated to supporting special projects that need help reaching a wider audience under their banner of ‘SpectreVision Presents.’ Those titles include Toad Road and LFO: The Movie, among others.
Wood, Noah and Waller were honored with the Visionary Award at the 2014 Stanley Film Festival for their contribution to independent film. They also delivered the Keynote Address for the Fantastic Market in Austin, leading into the 2015 Fantastic Fest.
In January of 2016, SpectreVision announced a new partnership with gaming giant Ubisoft, to create, develop and produce original content for their virtual reality platform. The SV production of The Greasy Strangler made its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to wide acclaim and controversy, making it one of the most talked-about titles at the festival.
ABOUT THE CINEFAMILY:
One of Los Angeles’ premiere nonprofit cinematheques, The Cinefamily is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization of movie-lovers dedicated to revitalizing film-culture through a spirit of community and discovery. Founded in 2007, The Cinefamily’s appearance on the landscape was described in the LA Weekly described as “a climate-altering event for Los Angeles moviegoers…the sheer ambition is hard to overstate”. Running over 300 events a year, including first-run, pop-up premieres, retrospectives, festivals and original events, it’s daily line-up has been described in CInematical as “breathtaking in its scope and ambition” (Peter Martin, Cinematical), and innovative approach to programming landed it in Indiewire’s 40 Top Influencers list of 2012. It’s membership includes over 1200 of the most influential and passionate cinema advocates in Los Angeles, and it’s board includes industry leaders like Ted Hope (Amazon Studios), Phil Lord (Lego Movie), Albert Berger (Bona Fide), Michael Bacall (21 Jump Street, Project x), Liesl Copland (WME), Simon Ore (Starburns), Bec Smith (UTA), Brad Simpson (Color Force) and Rob Hackett (Team Downey).
ABOUT HAT & BEARD:
Based in Los Angeles, with editors and project managers on the ground in Chicago, London, and New York City, Hat & Beard Press is a print collective, a publishing think tank, and a production house dedicated to all things tactile. H&B Press creates original, illustrated nonfiction books of pop-cultural and historical significance, drawing on existing cult audiences. We will also produce artist monographs as well as redesigned reissues of classic visual culture titles worth a second look. www.hatandbeard.com